Ambrosino added that he had not received any calls from community members on the complex, but to change the age limit, he would need to weigh the needs of local residents against the developer’s needs. “I’m always willing to discuss with the developers anything that makes sense for the community,” he said.

Town Councilman Jim Darcy said that Dutch Gate developers have not approached the town board about lowering the age limit. He added that, in general, developers sell a senior housing project to the board under the guise that there are “tens of thousands looking for this type of housing,” then come back to the board and want to expand their market. “I have not been in favor of those type of applications up to this point,” he said.

Darcy said that if Dutch Gate developers can’t fill their complex without lowering the age limit, they might need to change their approach. “If the market is bad, generally what happens is the developers will have to reflect on how much profit they anticipate,” he said.

Originally, town officials felt it was not in the best interest of seniors to lower the age limit and they had reservations about the possible impact on local schools. Thomas said that she does not anticipate any families with kids moving into the complex. “Right now, there is nobody with kids,” she said of those who have moved in so far.

Thomas added that if the age limit were dropped to 55, she couldn’t determine if kids would move in as well. “I can’t anticipate that,” she said.